Two electric showers running at the same time (in the same house?)

moonrakerz

WestonDave wrote: »

The other point is practicality - instant heat electric showers are pretty much controlled by water flow - try and run two at once and neither will get enough water

You will also need extra water to keep your meter cool as it will be spinning at an incredible speed :rotfl::rotfl:

BatCat

Hi Folks,
Thanks again!
We could investigate having a thermostatic shower? Was does that need? We have oil fired central heating with a condensing boiler but will still have a hot water tank. We don't tend to have the heat on in the summer much so there isn't a lot of spare water then.
Could we have a thermostatic shower in the bathroom and an electric shower in the ensuite running at the same time without blowing the power supply to the house?
Thanks again,
BatCat

BatCat

macman wrote: »

Is it possible to fit a relay switch so only one shower circuit can be live at one time? With a 60A supply I can't see any way around it, even 2x 8kw showers are going to exceed the limit.
But might be better to consider the water pressure aspect first.

Hi MacMan,
Thanks! I think that was what our electrician was going to look into, but he had never done it before.
Cheers,
BatCat

1984ReturnsForReal_2

BatCat wrote: »

Hi Folks,
Thanks again!
We could investigate having a thermostatic shower? Was does that need? We have oil fired central heating with a condensing boiler but will still have a hot water tank. We don't tend to have the heat on in the summer much so there isn't a lot of spare water then.
Could we have a thermostatic shower in the bathroom and an electric shower in the ensuite running at the same time without blowing the power supply to the house?
Thanks again,
BatCat

You will be able to run a thermostatic & an electric no probs. You need to fit a pump & that will come from a spur into the ring main if it has a trip switch at the box.

macman

BatCat wrote: »

Hi Folks,
Thanks again!
We could investigate having a thermostatic shower? Was does that need? We have oil fired central heating with a condensing boiler but will still have a hot water tank. We don't tend to have the heat on in the summer much so there isn't a lot of spare water then.
Could we have a thermostatic shower in the bathroom and an electric shower in the ensuite running at the same time without blowing the power supply to the house?
Thanks again,
BatCat

So how do you heat your hot water during the summer when the CH is off? Assuming your boiler still provides the hot water, there should be the same amount available as in the summer? Or do you use an immersion heater during the summer?

Jeannine

We had the same problem as you - new ensuite and a bathroom. On advice from electrician we had to have one electric shower and one thermostatic. We can use the latter when we have ready hot water, and the electric one when there isn't!

booty40uk

We have two small boys now but I could just see them totally ignoring me when they're older and showering away like fiends.

I had to be dragged kicking and screaming into the shower whne i was a kid!!!

Andy

Mankysteve

WestonDave wrote: »

You need to check your main supply fuse - this can be 60A or in newer houses 100A (and I suspect as it is dictated by the size of the supply cable coming in, its not a simple matter to upgrade it if you have the lower one without a lot of digging up!). Whatever it is rated at, is the maximum current your house as a whole can use at any one time.
I remember when my parent blew that fuse as teenager, shower going 2tvs microwave,fan-heater. Phoned the eleci people bloke came said we had blown the the main fuse, he said we're only meant to replace with 100A if the fuse carryer is destroyed so he hit it with hammer and switched it too a 100A

Every kw of power your appliances uses draws nearly 4.2A - so 2 8kw (its hard to get an 8kw shower as most are now higher power) showers running at once is 16kw, which equates to 67A - in other words if your main supply is 60A, your supply fuse is toast as soon as that second shower is switched on. I have never blown one, but I'm guessing its a National Grid job to replace it, not your local sparky.
Indeed a national grid job replace and when my parent blew there one they came the same day. Your maths is indeed correct.


The other point is practicality - instant heat electric showers are pretty much controlled by water flow - try and run two at once and neither will get enough water (unless you have ridiculous water pressure), it will go very hot and then cut out, before resetting and trying again - in terms of what comes out it will cycle through cold, warm, stupidly hot and back to cold.
Agreed with you. If you have two electric shower and run them at the same time your water pressure is going to rubbish and they'll effect each other.

See my comment in red and yes your right

googler

On https://www.diynot.co.uk, I recall a long and involved discussion about how the sparkies would wire the two switches for two electric showers such that when one was switched on, the other couldn't be activated until the first was switched off.

A wee look around the forum there may be informative.